a fabulous mess
by Sabriel41
Summary: Hinamori had heard, once, that the path to hell was paved with good intentions. Braving the crowds at Renji's birthday at Isane's suggestion (while ducking Ikkaku's elbow, and decidedly avoiding the sake) she hoped that it wasn't the only one.


**a fabulous mess**

 **. o .**

Sitting in the midst of this madness was a terrible idea.

But she'd promised Isane she would try — _not broken, not gone, just tired —_ and the men were so loud around her even as they treated her like parchment, like petals, and toasted Renji raucously with tall steins of beer and shallow sake saucers.

A part of her wanted to shout, too; add her cheers for her friend's birthday. He was, even now, even despite being caught up with the Kuchiki and the Karakura Town wanderers. A wobbly smile would have to do, she thought, as the redhead caught her eye with a grin and _stole her sake saucer -_ "hey!" Momo cried, her hand flying out to grab it back from Renji from where he sat across the table.

It didn't matter that she didn't like sake. The saucer was something to hold onto, its contents studiously untouched but raised periodically to toast the great and the ridiculous with the other shinigami sitting around the low table.

Before she could retort further, or reach the saucer that Renji's lanky arms had elevated out of her reach (short of standing on the table, and maybe she'd have done that, once), the lieutenant waved a small bottle at her with his free hand. "Somethin' sweeter, Hinamori. Kinda figured you wouldn't like this rotgut like the rest of us."

As the bottle slid across the table, she stopped it effortlessly, her polite smile warming under her friend's attention. With ease borne of practice, she ducked in the next moment as Ikkaku swayed jerkily to his feet beside her, taking offense to the bottle he'd bought being referred to as swill. Renji's response only added fuel to the fire — _this,_ she thought, _was why they never met in any of the nicer izakaya anymore_ — but before swords were drawn or the table could be destroyed, Yumichika hissed " _manners,_ you clod," and something about little Yachiru that sounded more like promise than threat.

Somewhat subdued, the bald man settled for crashing his cup against Renji's, shattering the saucer with a wicked grin. "Ooops," he said. "Rotgut, right, so no loss, eh, Abarai?"

Renji chuckled, shrugging off the spilt liquor and placing the saucer's fragments in an empty pint glass. "My kind of poison, Madarame." His gaze shifted back to Momo and her plum wine. "Say, Hina-chan…"

Spirits help her, she drew the bottle out of his reach and retorted immediately. "Don't you even think it, Renji!"

 _Oh. That had been rather loud,_ she thought, fighting back a blush at Ikkaku's "'atta girl, Peachy!" and Kira's soft laughter from where the soft-spoken lieutenant sat at her other side.

"It's poor form to take back what you've freely given away, even on your birthday, Renji," Kira added, fighting his own blush as Yumichika suddenly appeared behind them with wine glasses in hand and draped lithe arms around Momo and Kira's shoulders with effusive praise.

"It's ever so nice to be drinking with civilized people for once," the fifth seat said, placing the glasses on the table, then slipping the plum wine out of Momo's hand as the girl blinked in surprise. He poured first for the lieutenants, and after his arched eyebrow was met with a shy nod from the girl before him, poured another small glass, which he sipped from. "Drink up, you two; this is surprisingly palatable. Abarai," he continued, looking across the table, tone dripping with playful disbelief, "could it be that the honorable Captain has beat some sense of taste into you?" Ignoring Renji's comeback and Ikkaku's howl of laughter, Yumichika bent down to the two younger lieutenants, placing the plum wine back at Hinamori's side. "It gets easier," he told them, his smile unusually gentle. "And if it doesn't," he added, jutting his chin at the once and present Eleventh Division shinigami, "find them, and fight them. It nearly always works for me." With a ridiculous wink his only response to Ikkaku's protests and the mirrored looks of dismayed confusion on Kira and Momo's faces, Yumichika returned to his seat.

For all of his proclaimed vanity, Momo mused, Yumichika could see better than most past the surface of things. She'd seen him look to the bags beneath her eyes, her nails torn down to the quick, but these things hadn't kept him from treating her as a fellow. A friend, not a glass doll.

As Renji responded to Yumichika's insistence that _he knew such delightful people; they simply had to join in these events more often_ with a dry _you dumbass, Feathers; they've been my friends for years,_ Momo nudged Kira's shoulder and murmured "I will, if you will."

Kira started, but his hand was steady as he extended his glass to hers. "I could use another friend around the table."

"We should drink to it," she replied. "I — I could, too."

So they did.

When the next morning scratched its blinding talons across Seireitei, Isane turned her steps to the Fifth Division, intent on apologizing. She hadn't meant to push Momo too much when they'd met for her check-up, and upon admittance to the girl's office, she paled upon seeing the Lieutenant slumped across a desk, head down and sprawling. "Hinamori?" Isane cried out, alarmed. "Are you all right?"

Momo groaned miserably, and her reddened eyes — but dry cheeks — met the medic's gaze.

 _Oh_ , Isane thought, as she walked over and laid a gentle hand on her colleague's shoulder. _Well, that could have been worse._

Hinamori sighed as the mild reiatsu boost dulled her hangover. "Thank you, Isane," she said, as the medic finished.

"I do feel a little responsible, you know," Isane admitted.

"Good," Hinamori replied, but she cracked a smile. "It _was_ a terrible idea. But it wasn't a bad one."

 **. o .**

 _and I'll take you in, no matter what your chaos brings;_

 _there's something in you I believe in_

 **. o .**

 **finis**

 **. o .**

 ** _Disclaimer:_** the concluding lyrics and title are Third Eye Blind's, from "Something in You" and the characters and world belong to Kubo Tite. I just like to borrow them.

 ** _Sabe's Scribbles:_** I don't condone fighting-as-therapy, but Yumichika is part of the Eleventh Division, where fighting out one's problems seems as normal (and as habitual) as breathing. So. This grew from a little drabble based off of the 30_prompts word prompt "sweeten," which sparked the idea of plum wine, Momo, and Renji, and grew from there. With the exception of Renji, these are a lot of new voices for me, but it was fun to dip into their world. I hope you enjoyed it; thoughts and reviews are always welcome. =)


End file.
